FIVE RADICAL MOTOCROSS HELMET IDEAS THAT MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE IN THE FUTURE

On Nov 18, 2010 Last updated Mar 23, 2014

Helmets were among the newest forms of combat protection in 1600. And ever since the Middle Ages, the main purpose of the helmet has remained unchanged. One of the reasons that helmet design changes very slowly is that there are only so many ways to protect the human head?and the current foam and fiberglass combination has held sway for the last 50 years.

But there are new ideas afloat. Most will never see the light of day, but their creativity is worth looking at.

VOZTEC HELMET

The Voztec helmet focuses on the integrity and smoothness of the shell’s shape. Voztec believes that rounder and smoother helmets are safer because they have fewer snag points.

The Voztec helmet has a round front with a rolled lower edge. It fits very close to the rider’s face. Additionally, you don’t pull the Voztec down over your head, but instead open up the back of the helmet and pull it on like a mask. The size of the helmet is not affected by the opening size at the bottom, thus the helmet can be made to fit tighter to the rider’s head.

Furthermore, Voztec has designed the back of the helmet so that in case of an accident, the helmet can be removed from the rider’s head with no stress on the neck. For more info go to www.vozcorp.com.

LAZER SUPERSKIN

Lazer has developed a new helmet that protects you from the damage that can occur when your head rotates after hitting the ground. Lazer coats the helmet shell with a flexible lubricated membrane called Superskin that decreases rotational forces when a head hits the ground. It works like human skin in that it slides and tears rather than gripping the ground on impact. Superskin reduces the rotational effect by 60 percent in the critical milliseconds following initial contact.

Rotational head injuries create twisting forces that are the cause of most severe brain injuries. In nature, the human scalp offers protection from rotational head injury and provides frictionless movement to minimize the rotation of the skull and brain itself?the Lazer Superskin works in the same way. For more info go to www.lazerhelmets.com.

THERMAHELM LINER

ThermaHelm thinks it can save lives with a cooling insert for motorcycle helmets that works by setting off a chemical cooling process in the helmet liner on impact with the ground.

According to ThermaHelm, the brain of a crash victim heats up inside a helmet within minutes after impact. The ThermaHelm insert cools the liner and prevents the brain from overheating.

The idea came from the ice packs used to lessen swelling on the joints of injured athletes. The medical profession has long recognized the benefits of a hypothermic state in trauma victims, and ThermaHelm performs like an instant ice pack when activated by sudden impact. It can reduce brain swelling and extend the time medical staff has to perform critical medical procedures.

There are two nontoxic chemical packs built into the helmet lining, one containing water, the other ammonium nitrate. The chemicals are mixed when the membranes break in a hard crash. Once the chemicals are mixed, the cooling starts immediately and lasts for 30 minutes. Another benefit is that there is no need to remove the helmet to reduce swelling, which could cause, or aggravate, spinal or neck injuries sustained in the accident, no matter how carefully it is done. For more info go to www.thermahelm.com.

XENITH FOOTBALL HELMET

Inventor Vin Ferrara, a former Harvard quarterback, was inspired by a plastic nasal spray bottle. He squeezed the bottle, then pounded on it?finding that it cushioned soft and hard blows with equal aplomb.

Three years later, Ferrara’s squirt bottle turned into a football helmet with 18 thermoplastic shock absorbers filled with air that?not unlike his squirt bottle?could accept a wide range of forces and perhaps reduce concussions. Laboratory tests have shown that Ferrara’s plastic disks can withstand hundreds of impacts without any notable degradation in performance.

Thus was born the Xenith helmet. Ferrara sees his technology going beyond football?including motorcycle, auto and military uses. For more info on Xenith football helmets go to www.xenith.com

SIMBEX ACCELEROMETER

Simbex has developed a tiny accelerometer that fits inside helmet padding (called the HIT System). It measures sudden movements of the head and can wirelessly alert a sideline trainer. The device can help identify when players sustain a particularly dangerous blow to the head. For a team manager or an official, the helmet’s accelerometer score could be evidence enough to pull a player from the game (or a rider from the second moto)?preventing further damage. For more info go to www.simbex.com.

THE CONE-HEAD HELMET

The Cone-Head helmet claims to have a crumple zone around the skull to absorb and dissipate impact forces more effectively than current hard foam liners. Kali Helmets use this system. For more info go to www.kaliprotectives.com. The claimed benefits are:

(1) The shock absorbing liner absorbs an impact force more effectively and help to reduce the deceleration of the head.

(2) It takes into account the different thicknesses and strengths of the skull without compromising on standards.

(3) It reduces the overall mass of the helmet and therefore it will reduce the effects of rotational acceleration of the head during impact.

Inventor Don Morgan is a member of the Australian Institute of Physics and conducted research motorcycle helmets that was funded by the Australian Federal Office of Road Safety. The study found that the liners of helmets were too hard to effectively absorb an impact force. A single density foam liner is also limited in its ability to accommodate the variation in strength of the human skull. For more info go to www.coneheadhelmets.com.au.